After reading some of Liu's Monstress, I was excited to pick up her middle grade debut, especially when I read the synopsis. I really enjoyed the world being built as the story went along and the lyrical storytelling style that it began with. Zuli is a compelling character whose personality is endearing. She's courageous even when she's afraid and full of curiosity. Along the way she meets a number of different characters, both friends and foes - and has to find out the hard way sometimes which side they are on. This was a fantastic introduction to a lush fantasy world and hopefully there will be more to come!

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Zuli was orphaned as an infant and is being raised by birds and the bird spirits in the Great Tree. It's an idyllic life, and she gets to watch as the spirits of birds who have died reappear as leaves and then venture forth to be reborn. When no bird spirits seem to be leaving and the leaves on the dry are shriveled and brown, the community worries. Reluctantly, it is agreed that Zuli should venture forth into the real world to see what is happening. The owl, Frowly, accompanies her. The other world is destroyed, with wreckage everywhere. Zuli is attacked, but saved by Orien. Frowly is leery of their new friend, since he is a goblin, but he offers to take the two to the Nainai of his people to try to find out what is going on. Zuli, whose bracelet marks her as a special member of a long lost people. She is also being hunted by a Witch-Queen, who is sending all manner of dastardly creatures after her. Zuli holds her own, keeping her quest to find out what is happening with the birds foremost in her mind despite all of the obstacles the new world throws at her. Will she be able to survive giant spiders, dragons, and wraith-like creatures in order to put the bird world to rights? Another book is needed to finish this story!
Strengths: This was a great, philosophical fantasy adventure about existence and identity, offset by plenty of action and adventure. Zuli is an appealing character who loves her world enough to leave in order to save it. This has all of the good parts of a hero's quest story, and Zuli bravely travels all over the unaccustomed world, gathering supporters, following clues, and finding out secrets about her own past. The illustrations are bright, with heavily saturated colors that really make the scenes pop, and the facial expressions on the characters add a lot to the story. There is still a lot we need to find out, so I assume a sequel is in the works.
Weaknesses: Frowly looked a bit like... Archimedes from Disney's The Sword and the Stone? I couldn't quite pin it down, but it bothered me. Orien didn't look like a goblin, but more like Malificent from Sleeping Beauty. Young readers will not have these previous examples of animated characters wedged so firmly in their memories.
What I really think: I don't quite understand this, since it combines two things with which I personally struggle; fantasy and graphic novels. Still, it is well done, and will be appreciated by fans of Amulet, Aldridge's Estranged, and Stevenson's Nimona.

Thank you to the Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This great middle-grade novel has a little bit of everything: a diverse set of characters, gorgeously detailed artwork, magic, great world-building, adventure, and, based on the ending — a possibility of volume 2. The story emphasizes loyalty, friendship, family, and conservation, among other important ideas. I would recommend this book for ages 10-14.

Oh my goodness, I cannot wait for the next one to come out! The illustrations are beautiful and you are caught up in the story as you move through this fast-paced graphic novel.

Wingbearer is an enchanting tale told in illuminating illustrations. Zuli is a brave girl with a big heart that readers will instantly want to route for, and her skeptical sidekick Frowly provides refreshing comic relief throughout the book. Endearing, funny, and for fans of the found family trope, Wingbearer is a graphic novel that is sure to put a smile on your face!

After seeing this was by Marjorie Liu, I had a feeling I was going to like it, and boy was I right. The story hooked me right from the get-go, and Teny Issakhanian's were beautiful. Zuli is immediately an utterly likable protagonist, and all of her companions—Frowly, Orien, even the brief encounters along the way—made for such a captivating story. Along with the characters, the world that was created for this story was super complex and felt very well thought out, which is especially nice since this was only the first book. This was definitely one of the best graphic novels I've read this year (rivaled only by Liu's other series) and I am so excited to see where they go with this story since the ending was such a cliffhanger.

Zuli is a young girl living amongst the guardians of the spirits of dead birds. She’s not entirely sure how she came to be there, the guardians having raised her since she was a baby, and she’s content to spend her life in the Great Tree caring for the bird spirits until they are reborn into the World. When bird spirits stop arriving at the Great Tree, Zuli must leave the safety of her guardian family and the tree to enter the World and save the bird spirits.

Wingbearer is a fun new graphic by the fantastic writer Marjorie Liu. While this is an introduction to a new series and requires some explanation and backstory, it still manages to keep the reader engaged with interesting characters and creatures, and lots of humor.

Wingbearer touches on a lot of social justice issues, but never treats them as simple. For example, when Zuli is mortified by the goblin’s wood harvesting Orien explains that the goblins wouldn’t survive without using the trees and they try to only take what they’ll use. Recognizing the complexity in issues sparks questions and discussion rather than reducing the issue to the binary of good and bad, kids benefit from this complex framing and I love that here is a graphic novel to broach (even if gently) some tough topics.

Wingbearer is full to the brim with worldbuilding backstory waiting to be revealed and foreshadowing that most youngsters won’t pick up on initially but will make this such a great series to reread once big reveals occur.

This is Teny Isaakhanian’s debut graphic novel, but they have worked in the some of the greatest animation powerhouses for years and it shows. The way panels and scenes are thoughtfully set up made Wingbearer flow beautifully. The characters’ expressions depicted levels of emotional depth. Most of all I loved the way light and magic glowed.

Wingbearer will easily become a graphic novel series kids devour. I can’t wait to get it into the hands of my own kids, and recommend it to others.

I posted this review to Goodreads.

Zuli makes her way into the world searching for the lost bird souls. But she also wants answers about herself to find out who she is and where she came from. Along the way, she meets new friends and learns who she trust and depend on because she cant take on the growing dark power alone

A cute and action-packed middle-grade graphic novel about a girl raised by the guardians of a spirit tree protecting the souls of dead birds. When the souls begin to disappear without being reborn again, Zuli leaves the only home she's ever known to journey through the mortal realm on a quest to discover what or who is interfering with the cycle of rebirth. Fun and full of heart and adventure. I think kids will really love this one.

The art in this is gorgeous. It's colorful and soft. The characters are drawn in such an emotive way, that I really loved zooming in on the faces of every panel. The story is fun and adventurous with a major plot twist at the end that really sets it up to be a fun series.

1) Art = ADORABLE. 2) I want wings. 3) What a fun, adventurous story. All readers will love Liu's story about a "chosen" one, Zuli, who was raised outside of the world on the tree bird souls go to when they die. Zuli really loves birds, y'all - it is precious. When souls stop being reborn, Zuli leaves the tree and navigates into the unknown. She must make new friends, rely on her instincts, and never lose her unwavering optimism to stand a chance. A must for all libraries!

This was an excellent first installment of the “Wingbearer” series. Teny Issakhanian's artwork is incredible. The color pallet is so rich and vibrant which pulls and immerses the reader into the fantasy world. The characters’ expressions add such emotion and depth to the story. The story itself was a bit confusing, wordy, and laggy at times. I’m hoping this weight is due to the “book one syndrome” where everything has to be explained and back-storied.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the main character's combined innocence and bravery quite charming. I loved the worldbuilding. The art is quite lovely! The character and creature designs were both familiar and very unique. I was disappointed when I got to the end as I didn't realize this was a series and was very interested in what would happen next I am definitely looking forward to the next volume.

Marjorie Liu continues to write the best stories with Wingbearer, a heartwarming adventurous tale full of love. Every page brings a new and wonderful delight thanks to a sweet story and beautiful art.

You know when you are reading a story that is so incredible and you NEVER want it to end? THAT is Wingbearer!!

Evoking the emotions of Fern Gully with the magic of Dungeons & Dragons, this story is so incredible and I could literally read 1000 more pages. This is so obviously a Volume 1, so maybe my wish will be granted. I truly hope so!

Zuli is an INCREDIBLE MC! She is someone to look up to for POC Kids everywhere. Her kindness is only outmatched by her determination to see all the lost bird souls returned to the Tree of Life.

I loved the amazing cast of supporting characters, so I’ll be excited to see how they grow and adapt with the next book.

Thank You to Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wingbearer was a cohesive graphic novel. Teny Issakhanian's art was vibrant and truly a standout while the writing felt a little flat in comparison. There were several text heavy pages that slowed the story's momentum.

Zuli, the main character, is a young Black girl, but neither of the creators are Black. Although Zuli does gain more agency as the story progresses, there are long stretches where she is portrayed as a naive girl who must be taught the ways of the world, and although it made sense in the story, it felt especially strange to read since non-Black creators were telling this story.

Wingbearer reminded me of Fantastic Tales of Nothing, another HarperCollins graphic novel, in that both presented fantastic worlds but did not necessarily see them through.

Gorgeously illustrated (like, seriously, its almost like stills from an animated film), Wingbearer is the first part in what is obviously going to be a cracker-jack fantasy series. Zuli is raised from infancy in the branches of a mystical tree that serves as afterlife for bird souls before they are ready to be reincarnated. When bird souls stop appearing, Zuli leaves the afterlife in search of what is causing the intended cycle of souls to fail. Along the way she discovers the 1,000 year old ruins of her people and a land of various magical sentient winged creatures (goblins, wyverns, griffons, dragons, etc) that is both torn apart by past wars and the rising threat of the mysterious Witch-Queen.

This was an exciting start to a fantastical middle grade fantasy series. The colorful, kinetic art will be really appealing for the intended age group, and I kept thinking it wasn't at all surprising that just about everyone she met was pretty easily won over by Zuli's charm—she is ADORABLE.

This book was so magical and amazing, I loved every step of the way and I can't wait to read more!! The main character is so wholesome and kind, and the secret lore behind the world is very intriguing. Definitely one of the best fantasy adventure graphic novels I've read in a while.

I absolutely loved this book, but I have one major issue with one of the characters. The green guy on the cover (Orien) looks exactly like a gargoyle, but in this book he is a goblin. So, I am a little bit upset about that (maybe a little more than a little bit), but otherwise I loved this book!

What begins into a mission to save reincarnating bird spirits turns into something a lot more dangerous and complicated. Zuli was raised by bird spirits in a place where time is different than the regular world. She has never experienced anything outside of this place including others like her, water, or a ruined city. All Zuli wants is to find out what is happening to the spirits, but the Witch-Queen has other ideas. As soon as she steps into the real world, the Witch-Queen is alerted to her presence. Zuli has to fight off her minions and head north with her guardian owl Frowly and her new friend the outcast goblin Orien. Along the way, she might finally find out who she is.